It's All Relative at Kashmir

Murtle swears by Kashmir telling me that it’s one of her favorite restaurants. Thinking that I’m missing out on a good thing, I finally tried Kashmir with friends Teej and Vics.

Kashmir tries to stay true to its roots with its Indian and Persian inspired decor. It’s noticeable that the restaurant has seen better days though. Aside from the furnishing, I noticed that a good number of the diners in Kashmir were Indians. This tells me that food here is authentic.

Food that night:

Roti Chanai (90php)

Their version of this bread staple was good especially when dipped in curry sauce. I still prefer Arya’s version though as this was not as soft.

Naan (90php)

A glorified shawarma pita bread is all this was to me.

Palak Paneer (300php)

The cottage cheese was good when eaten on its own but horrible when combined with the spinach. Should Palak Paneer taste burned??? Looked like shit and tasted like shit. :(

Barra Kabab (490php)

Forget about the flavors as the meat pieces here were hard as rock. Meat could inflict serious pain when thrown at someone. I should have complained but didn’t want to bother.

Mutton Sayel (490php)

This doesn’t picture well but it’s actually the only good dish that night. The sauce was uniquely tasty and the lamb was very tender. What every dish in Kashmir should be.

In one word, here’s how we each described our experience in Kashmir:

TEEJ: Ordinary
VICS: Weird
ME: Sucky. But on second thought, my word should have been NASTY!

My friends and I had mixed reactions but were consistent in not giving Kashmir glowing reviews unlike Murtle. I now somehow question Murtle’s choice in restaurants but I guess everything is just a matter of taste. I’ll not be back at Kashmir anytime soon though.

Kashmir Restaurant is located at 816 Arnaiz Avenue Pasay Road Makati City. For more information, visit http://www.kashmirmanila.com/.

Cerchio: When Ambiance Isn't Enough

I got a message from Romulo Café that they are launching a new restaurant called Cerchio in the same Tomas Morato neighborhood. My friends and I tried it one random night.

Similar to Romulo Café, Cerchio looks stylish and hip. Nice place for cocktails and drinks. There were a lot of families and oldies when we dined there though.

On with the food...

Pumpkin Malunggay Soup (90php)

Tasted more of the malunggay than pumpkin. A very healthy soup!

Crispy Squid Head (180php) 

Not close to being delicious but I found myself munching on this the entire dinner. Must be because it was so crispy!

Bourbon Ribs (590php)

My friends’ favorite dish at Cerchio but I was apathetic to this since I also ate ribs for lunch that day. Ribs overload much?

Crispy Beef Tadyang (490php)

Dry and bland when eaten on its own. Once dipped in sauce, this tadyang becomes awesome.

Margarita Pizza (220php)

Regret of the night: Not noticing that sisig pizza was on the menu since our pizza was oh-so-bland. The sisig pizza for sure at least would have been interesting.

Since we visited Cerchio during its soft opening, I'm willing to give this restaurant the benefit of the doubt. Their food should get better as their chefs gain more experience. Otherwise, what a waste of time!

Cerchio is located at 76 Sct. Limbaga, Tomas Morato, Quezon City. For more details, call 3550998 or 3515279.

Cheap Fix: Turk's Shawarma

Aside from Osama’s, Turk’s Shawarma is my go-to-place whenever a shawarma craving hits.

There's always a long line which goes to show how popular it is.

What I like most about Turk’s version is its uniquely sweet pita bread. It’s so delicious that I wouldn't mind eating the pita on its own.

The sweet pita bread complements the strong salty flavors of the beef and the garlicky goodness of the white sauce.

Turk's Shawarma is a real pleaser. Not only is it cheap, but it also hits the right spot.

Turk's Shawarma is found in most SM Food Courts in Metro Manila.